Often the packaging process for final consumer facing products includes incorporating into a single package multiple items prepared and manufactured by separate parties. Thus, the party performing final or intermediate packaging steps must take bulk-packaged items provided by other parties in the manufacturing process, such as inserts including leaflet, booklets or other objects, and incorporate them into packaging. Such processes need to be conducted at high speed in the interest of efficiency. Packaging systems are present in the market for such packaging operations, but they require constant observation and loading. Operators of such packaging systems must remain at the machine during operation. Existing insert feeding systems require some sort of operator intervention to open the packages for such items (e.g., trays) before loading the items into the system. These systems also require regular changing out of the parts for running different sized items. In addition, such conventional systems often lose containment of the inserts at one or more locations throughout the process. Such systems typically include friction feeders to deliver the items, which are difficult to keep running consistently at high speeds and with inserts or other items of various thicknesses. These systems include insert “waterfalls” where containment of the insert is lost during a transition from either a vertical or horizontal orientation to the correct orientation to be fed through the belts.
Thus, there is a need for improved systems for high speed, automatic separation and packaging of such items.